Designer’s indispensable skill: the ability to write and present a solid problem statement
Unveiling and highlighting one of the most important skill to have for a GOOD designer
Introduction
So far, based on my experience interning at Facebook as a product design intern, I learned a valuable lesson from my manager (Kevin Charboneau) that design isn’t always about pixels and fancy interactions. Although being able to execute high quality design is an essential skill to have, what actually needs to come for a good designer is the ability to define the problem I’m trying to solve thoroughly and effectively. Therefore, I thought about writing this piece to provide some information about writing a solid problem statement for each small/large projects.
What is a Problem Statement?
A problem statement is a clear description of the issue (problem) which also includes a vision and methods used to make ways into solving the problem. Basically, it’s a clear, concise description of the issues that need to be addressed and it is used to center and focus the team at the very beginning to stay on track.
It is extremely important that as a designer, you understand the problem way before defining a potential solution. Articulating the current problem that you are trying to solve helps you work through what is known so far about the problem and where the are gaps are in your knowledge.
The problem definition should be a living document that can always be revisited and updated often when necessary.
Some of the sample questions that help define a problem statement are the following:
- What problem are we trying to solve?
- How do we know this is a real problem?
- Why is it important to solve?
- Who are our users? What are their goals and motivations?
- How will we know if we’ve solved the problem?
What Makes a Good Problem Statement?
A problem statement will guide you and your team and provide a focus on the specific needs that you have uncovered yet. It also creates a vision that allows everyone in your team to spark off ideas while staying on track.
A good problem statement should thus have the following traits:
- Phrased as a question: Problem statement often starts with “How might we…”, or “What can we do to…” type of questions to encourage thinking creatively during brainstorming all the way up to solution generation.
- User-centered approach: Problem statement should be framed according to specific users that you are providing the solutions for. Therefore, understanding their needs and goals are very important to “empathize” with them. In reality, it could be tough but it’s beneficial to keep it away from the technology, budget constraints and specifications. Focusing on people (users) is key.
“The challenge you choose may be related to adoption of new technologies, behaviors, medicines, products, or services. This might lead to framing a design challenge that is organization-focused, such as “How can we get people in villages to adopt savings accounts?” Instead, to act as a springboard for innovation, the challenge should be re-framed in a more human-centered way, such as “How can we create a financial safety net for people in villages?” — IDEO’s Human Centered Design Toolkit
- Narrow in scope but broad enough for creativity: Problem statement shouldn’t be too broad because it will likely cause you and the team to feel lost. While it still require sufficient amount of constraints and requirements, it’s also crucial to not focus too narrowly on the specificity of the potential solution. Restricting excessively on freedom will prevent the team from exploring areas that might bring unexpected value and insight to the project.
*Note: Don’t jump into solving the problem or assume ahead.
How to Define and Write a Problem Statement
There are a lot of resources online that you may be able to find. Here are some example ways that may help you get started.
#1 — “How Might We” Questions
“How Might We (HMW)” questions are questions that have the potential to spark ideation sessions such as brainstorms. They should be broad enough for a wide range of solutions, but narrow enough that specific solutions can be created for them.
For example, you have observed that people tend not to pay attention your Ads in your website, some questions which can guide and spark your ideation session could be:
- How might we make users pay more attention to the Ads we installed?
- How might we make Ads more engaging and immersive experience?
The “How Might We” questions open up to Ideation sessions where you explore ideas, which can help you solve your design challenge in an innovative way.
#2 — The 5 ‘W’s — Who, What, Where, When and Why
Who —
- Who does the problem affect? (i.e specific groups, organizations, customers)
- Who are our primary/secondary users?
- Who other than our primary/secondary users might we affect?
What —
- What are the boundaries of the problem? (i.e organizational, work flow, geographic, customer, segments)
- What is the current issue that require attention?
- What is the ultimate goal/impact?
- What are some background information that we need?
- What does the end goal look like?
- What would happen if we didn’t solve the problem?
When —
- When does the issue occur?
- When does it need to be fixed?
- When are we looking to plan, organize, ideate, design, prototype and ship?
Where —
- Where is the issue(problem) occurring?
- Where do we need to focus on the most?
Why —
- Why is it important that we fix the problem?
- What impact does it have on the business or customer?
- What impact does it have on all stakeholders (i.e employees, suppliers, customers, shareholders)
#3 — The 5 ‘Why’s
It’s a strategy where you keep asking yourself “why” so that it helps you to dive deeper into the problem and force you to understand more about the space and motivate to learn. For example, when the vehicle doesn’t start (problem),
- Why does the vehicle not start? → The battery is dead.
- Why is the battery dead? → The alternator is not functioning.
- Why is the alternator not working? → The alternator belt has broken.
- Why is it broken? → The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and not replaced.
- Why was it not replaced? → The vehicle was not maintained according to the recommended service schedule. (Root cause)
And a couple more methods:
- Affinity Diagrams
- Empathy Mapping
Conclusion
A famous American inventor and social philosopher, Charles Kettering once said,
“A problem well stated is half solved” — Charles Kettering
Sometimes, when you encounter a problem that you’re trying to tackle, you become so overwhelmed that you don’t really know where to start, find out what’s wrong about it or what is even going on in what context. However, once you start to figure out one by one, asking questions to yourself and dive deeper into the problem, you will begin to know what you have to do. If a problem is well-stated, you will most likely to stay on track.
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